Formula One Gradebook: Mexico City Grand Prix
A new champion was crowned, a new face on the grid and penalties galore –– here’s how all 22 drivers performed at the 2026 Mexico City Grand Prix.
Mercedes
Kimi Antonelli: A
The Italian driver lined up in fourth and was able to keep out of trouble on the opening lap as those ahead of him were caught up in an intense battle. Having set himself up for a clean race and a standard one-stop race, Antonelli stayed within close distance of those ahead
On the restart after the red flag, he was able to take advantage of the Ferrari’s slower pace and flat-spotted tyre to move from fourth into the podium positions. After passing the car ahead, he steadily built a gap to the cars behind and finished in third for his 17th podium of the season. A points-finish was all that he needed this weekend to clinch his maiden world championship but the Italian picked up another piece of silverware to make him the youngest champion in the history of the sport.
George Russell: B
Russell started the Grand Prix in second but dropped down the order almost immediately due to a deployment issue which he carried throughout the race. Having been caught in a tangle with Isack Hadjar’s Red Bull, he was given a 10-second penalty. As a result of the penalty, Russell’s fight for the win, and his championship chances, slipped out of reach.
When he came back onto track in eighth place after his first pit-stop on Lap 33, his fight was limited to the McLarens as it had been prior to his stop. In the end, Russell crossed the line in sixth and unfortunately dropped to fourth in the Drivers’ championship standings with this result.
Ferrari
Lewis Hamilton: A-
For the first time in red, Hamilton started on pole position and briefly retained the lead of the Grand Prix prior to an incident between himself and his teammate. As a result of the skirmish, Hamilton yielded track position first to his teammate after being wide and then to the Red Bull behind and he was unable to challenge either car in his first stint. Under Safety Car conditions, and prior to the red flag being called, Hamilton came into the pit-lane for fresh tyres but dropped a position.
With race control deciding to reinstate the order from the previous lap, the Briton found himself back in third place and capitalised on the chance to get ahead of his teammate on the restart. He also briefly put the Red Bull under pressure for the race lead but was unable to complete the overtake. Hamilton settled into second place where he finished for his seventh podium of the season.
Charles Leclerc: A-
Leclerc started in third and unexpectedly, after a skirmish with Max Verstappen’s Red Bull and his teammate, found himself in the lead of the race. However, his incident with his teammate did not go unnoticed and he was handed a five-second time penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage. Despite building a gap of over five seconds to Verstappen’s Red Bull behind, Leclerc lost the lead of the race when he came into the pit-lane to serve his penalty and swap his tyres.
On the restart after the red flag, Leclerc dealt with a big lock-up resulting in a flat-spot on one of his tyres. This left him vulnerable to Antonelli behind and he found himself being overtaken, hampering his chances of a podium finish. After keeping the McLaren behind at bay until the chequered flag, Leclerc finished in fourth.
Red Bull
Max Verstappen: A+
After dropping a position on the grid due to a penalty, Verstappen lined up in fifth and was the only front-runner on the medium compound tyres. An excellent start brought him up to third right off the line and soon enough, he was able to overtake Hamilton for the runner’s-up position. While he did not have the pace to pass Leclerc during the opening stint, the Dutch driver inherited the lead after a quicker stop in the pit-lane.
With Hamilton behind and on fresh tyres, Verstappen had to defend his race lead and potential win on the restart however was able to keep his former rival at bay. Having seen off the threat of the Ferrari behind, Verstappen preserved his lead and came home to take his 74th career win and his sixth in Mexico City.
Isack Hadjar: B
Lining up in seventh for the race start, Hadjar certainly had the pace to make his way through the field however an opening lap incident where he was tagged by Russell through his race off-kilter. Out of synch with the rest of the grid, he took his first stop under Virtual Safety Car conditions and emerged in 22nd as a result on medium tyres he hoped would last the rest of the race.
The French driver remained outside the top 10 and was forced to take a second stop which gave him fresh tyres but disadvantaged him on a circuit where track position is key. Although he crossed the line out of the points, his race was saved after post-race penalties were applied to other drivers and he was promoted into ninth.
McLaren
Lando Norris: A
After starting in seventh, Norris’ race was made difficult as he dropped positions on the race start but remained in the top 10. After climbing back up the order, his first stint was summed up by being unable to overtake the Mercedes ahead.
After coming into the pitlane on Lap 39, the Briton came back out onto the track in fifth but this time ahead of Russell. However, it was the same issue with a different car as Norris remained stuck behind Leclerc’s Ferrari who he couldn’t overtake despite the latter’s flat-spot. Ultimately, it was a race of clear frustration for Norris as he crossed the line in fifth.
Oscar Piastri: B-
After a difficult qualifying, Piastri lined up in 12th for the race start but quickly made up places on the opening lap to move into the top 10. On Lap 26, the Australian came in for his first pit-stop and emerged in 12th but battled his way back up to the top 10.
However, Piastri’s hard work was undone on the restart after first losing position to a Racing Bulls and then a tangle with the same car. Having sustained significant damage, he was still able to make it to the chequered flag and crossed the line in seventh. Post-race, Piastri was deemed to be at fault in causing the collision and so was given a 10-second time penalty which dropped him out of the points and into 13th.
Racing Bulls
Liam Lawson: A+
Lawson started from the pit-lane after being disqualified from qualifying and despite his good pace, it seemed that points would be out of reach for him. Having made an early pit-stop on Lap 11, he steadily made his way through the field which put him in an excellent position on the restart.
With a final move on Gasly in the closing stages of the race, Lawson crossed the line in ninth. Post-race, his weekend was made better as he was promoted up to seventh for one of his best recovery drives of the season so far. His result has taken the team’s total tally in the Constructors’ championship to 108.
Arvid Lindblad: A-
After an excellent qualifying performance, Lindblad lined up in eighth for the race start and kept his position as others ahead found themselves involved in skirmishes. Having come in for his only pit-stop on Lap 35, the rookie driver seemed set to finish in the points.
A persistent battle between Piastri and Lindblad came to a head on the restart when the Briton was able to pass the Australian however they came together only a few corners later. As a result of the contact, Lindblad went off-track and found himself in the barriers to bring his race to an early end on Lap 59.
Alpine
Pierre Gasly: C+
On a more difficult weekend for Gasly, he lined up in the fringes of the points in ninth and immediately lost positions on the start due to a power issue. After committing to an early pit-stop on Lap 17, he was able to undercut some of his competitors and found himself back in the top 10. Although he made contact with his teammate on the restart, and was forced wide onto the grass as a result, he still came home in 10th.
A post-race investigation changed the tone of Gasly’s recovery drive as he was found to have committed a double-yellow flag infringement which resulted in a stop-and-go penalty. As the penalty couldn’t be served post-race, it was converted into a 30-second penalty which dropped the French driver down to 17th.
Franco Colapinto: B-
Having started in 11th, Colapinto had an excellent start and brought himself into the mix within the opening stages of the Grand Prix. With decent pace in the car, he was able to retain his position on-track for a large majority of the race. Although the Alpine cars made contact on the restart, Colapinto was able to recover well and crossed the line in eighth.
Like his teammate, his hard work was undone post-race after an investigation revealed that Colpinto had committed a yellow flag infringement. As a result, he was given a 10-second time penalty which dropped his finishing position from eighth to 15th.
Haas
Ollie Bearman: B
With a decent qualifying performance, Bearman lined up in 14th and had an excellent opening stint where he made up plenty of places. By Lap 19, Bearman had passed the Audi ahead and was in 11th to try and move into the top 10. On a track where track position is key, he opted to extend his opening stint and did not come in for his pit-stop until Lap 40.
On the restart, Bearman was in the thick of midfield action to continue his push for points. However, this was quickly derailed when one of the Audis drove into the back of the Haas, bringing his race to an early end on Lap 47.
Ryo Hirakawa: A+
After an unexpected announcement that Hirakawa would be making his F1 debut this weekend to replace Esteban Ocon, he lined up in 18th for the race start. On the race start, he was able to keep it clean and stayed out of trouble, a difficult thing to do around this circuit.
Over the course of the race, Hirakawa was able to get involved in a few battles as he practiced racing in an F1 car for the first-time. On Lap 35, he came into the pit-lane for his first F1 pit-stop and made two further pit-stops as the only driver to commit to the three-stop strategy. Post-race, Hirakawa’s debut was made all the better when he was promoted into the points-scoring positions in 10th.
Audi
Nico Hülkenberg: B-
Having started in 10th, it seemed as though Hülkenberg was destined to hover around the points after close battles with the likes of Bearman and Piastri during his first stint when the Audi demonstrated decent pace. The German’s first stop came on Lap 31 however the result of his race was turned around after the restart.
After their close battle earlier in the race, the restart saw Hülkenberg drive into the back of Bearman’s Haas. With the stewards giving the German driver a 10-second time penalty which he served on Lap 51, he fell down the order and ultimately finished in 14th.
Gabriel Bortoleto: A
Having started a few places behind his teammate in 13th, Bortoleto wasn’t expected to be in the mix for points especially after the issues he dealt with over the course of the weekend. A single pit-stop on Lap 38 gave him the chance to swap his and reenter the battle between those on the fringes of the points. Initially, he crossed the line in 11th for Audi’s 11th time finishing right outside of the points.
Post-race, the Brazilian driver’s time was improved after penalties were applied to drivers ahead which promoted him into the points-scoring positions. With this eighth place finish, Bortoleto added to his own personal tally for the season as well as Audi’s overall count for their debut season in 2026.
Williams
Carlos Sainz: C
After a run of difficult races, Sainz lined up in 15th for the Mexico City Grand Prix on a weekend where Williams did not have the pace to compete. Unlike the other side of the garage, he had committed to the one-stop strategy and came into the pit-lane on Lap 36.
Over the course of the race, Sainz was noted for a number of potential infringements including speeding in the pit-lane and a potential false start, however was not given any penalties because of it. Although Sainz was promoted a few places with the post-race penalties, it was not enough to score any points this weekend. His final race classification was 12th.
Alex Albon: C+
Like his teammate, it was not the most competitive weekend for Albon as he lined up in 16th for the race start. Unlike Sainz, Albon was committed to a two-stop strategy which posed its own issues as they had little pace to compete with. On the restart, he was able to make up a considerable number of places however he was unable to keep a hold of the positions.
After the penalties to the drivers ahead were applied, Albon’s final race classification was 11th on a less than ideal weekend overall. The only silver lining to Albon’s weekend was that he finished ahead of his teammate to help his case in their head-to-head.
Aston Martin
Fernando Alonso: C
After a disappointing qualifying, Alonso started in 17th but it was a difficult race for the Spanish driver. From the off-set, the Honda engine struggled to adapt to the conditions. Although he seemed to settle into a rhythm and perhaps begin to challenge the cars ahead after a very early stop on Lap 3, this plan soon unravelled.
The two-time former world champion’s race came to an early end as he was informed on the radio to box the car to retire on Lap 6 due to a suspected pressure issue. As a result of the retirement, Alonso has become the only driver to fail to finish the last three Mexico City Grands Prix.
Lance Stroll: C-
Starting a few places behind his teammate in 19th, Stroll was also set up for a difficult race as he failed to find the same pace as Alonso. Following the team’s alternative strategy, the Canadian driver came into the pit-lane on Lap 3.
His race was not to progress for much longer after he pulled up on the side of the track on Lap 6 due to a suspected power unit issue. This marked Stroll’s 12th DNF of the season where his highest result has been a 12th place finish.
Cadillac
Valtteri Bottas: C-
Lining up at the back of the grid due to penalties for taking an additional power unit, it was always going to be a difficult race for the Cadillac driver who struggled with pace over the course of the weekend. On the opening lap, Bottas was able to make up a few places, however this had little impact on his overall race.
He was the cause for the sole red flag in the race as he had a heavy crash into the barrier due to a suspected suspension failure. Thankfully, he emerged unhurt but had to endure his 10th DNF of the season.
Sergio Pérez: C+
The hometown hero had two causes for celebration as not only was he in-front of his Mexican crowd but he was also celebrating 300 race starts, becoming the seventh driver in F1 history to reach this milestone. Lining up in 20th, Pérez managed to get as high as 13th during the race.
An incredibly slow pit-stop unfortunately meant that Pérez found his way to the back of the grid once again. To add to his difficulties, he was also given a five-second time penalty for speeding in the pit-lane. In the end, in front of his home crowd, Pérez finished in 16th.
Looking Ahead
For the final race of this triple header, F1 will travel to Brazil for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix. Only time will tell if Antonelli will attempt a first race win as the reigning world champion or if another driver will upset the Italian’s celebrations.
Edited by Marit Everett
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